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Police continue hunt for ‘armed and dangerous’ Lowell murder suspect

LOWELL, MA (WHDH) – The massive manhunt for a man accused of shooting and killing a woman inside an apartment in Lowell continues Friday, with no sightings of the suspect coming since Thursday afternoon.

Police and SWAT teams in Lowell suspended their ground search Thursday night for an “extremely dangerous” man after a woman was found murdered Thursday morning, but authorities said Friday that hundreds officers would continue to scour the Highlands area of the city.

Authorities also said police officers will be stationed at local schools and extra patrols through area neighborhoods will happen throughout the day.

Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said authorities responded around 7:30 a.m. to an apartment at 166 Stevens St. for a report of shots fired and found a woman suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.

Police said the victim, Nicole White, 44, had been in a relationship with homicide suspect Ross Elliott, 51, of Lowell. They did not specify what kind of relationship it was. Sources told 7’s Steve Cooper that the woman was shot in front of her young daughter. The girl was not injured.

White was rushed to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police said a SWAT team swept through the apartment building, but was unable to locate Elliott. A search of a home on Gorham Street also turned up empty.

An off-duty firefighter said he encountered Elliott hiding under a motorcycle case in his yard Thursday around 4:30 p.m. The firefighter said Elliott crawled out with a gun in his hand, telling the firefighter he wanted to be left alone and wanted to die. He then ran down Pine Street toward Lowell center. The firefighter was not injured.

Elliot has not been seen since the encounter in the area of Pine and Stevens Street, Ryan said Friday. Elliot is said to be “armed, desperate and extremely dangerous.” Police said he was last seen wearing a blue shirt and jeans.

A “shelter in place” order for residents in the Highlands area was lifted late Thursday night. Anyone with information on Elliot’s whereabouts is asked to contact police.

A preliminary investigation suggests that Elliot approached the woman in a common area of the building where she was residing, authorities said. Elliot then allegedly assaulted the woman, fatally shooting her.

The shooting is under investigation.

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